


Cherry Red

by Angryangryowl



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Music
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 03:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12879678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angryangryowl/pseuds/Angryangryowl
Summary: Hux works as a barista to find his way through college. Kylo works in the same coffee shop, and they slowly start to fall for each other...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is pure fluff, but it was fun to write them just...being happy and not fighting. I hope you like it ❤

‘The whole weekend?!’ Kylo grins, that wide toothy smile that scrunches up his whole face and nearly drops a bucket of soapy water. He saves it, smoothly depositing it on the floor like he meant to do that all along.

 

‘Call it time off for good behaviour. You've improved, in efficiency and general demeanour, and I could use the extra shifts to pay for my final year textbooks.’

 

‘Make sure you at least buy yourself a drink with the money. Have a little fun.’ He winks as he goes back to his bucket.

 

A twinge of a smile plays at one corner of Hux’s mouth as he goes back to his pile of paperwork. Far too much for just selling a few croissants and lattes, but he found the order of it, tick here, sign here, numbers in the right boxes, calmed his mind after a whole day working with the public. Numbers were easy and stayed where they were put. Customers were noisy, messy, unpredictable and unforgiving, particularly in chain coffee shops like the one he managed. Part-time, around lectures for his engineering degree.

 

Ren continued mopping the floor. He was distractingly elegant when he lapsed into his own plane of reality (which was often). He had a sure, fluid way of moving, like each movement is a routine practiced hundreds of times and he no longer has to think about it. He hums to himself as he swishes wide arcs of suds across the wooden floor. With those long, powerful legs and that strong back, he could have been a dancer, Hux muses to himself. He will not allow himself to think too much about how Ren’s backside looks in his black skinny jeans, and returns to his paperwork.

 

‘What did you say you were doing again this weekend?’

 

‘Oh uh...Bloodbath. It's a metal festival..thing.’

 

‘Performing or just watching?’ He remembered Ren carrying a guitar case before, a handsome cherry red model left to him by his father.

 

‘I'm not that good, but thanks! Just gonna watch, have a few drinks, maybe get lucky..’

 

Hux raises an eyebrow. He hasn't really considered the idea that Ren would want to sleep with anyone, let alone go looking for it. He shoves it into the back of his mind along with that indecently good view of Ren bending over the sink.

 

‘That sounds interesting..’

 

‘I figured it probably wasn't your style. Might have looked at your music that time you asked me to grab Phasma’s number off your phone..’

 

‘That was private!’

 

‘It's fine, I know you think I'm some kind of dumbass but I like Rachmaninov too.’

 

‘I never said that, but it's good to know.’ He says carefully. ‘Anyway if you're done, you can go. Enjoy your Bloodbath.’ He says with a wry smile. It doesn't sound like it will ever be Hux’s kind of thing. If there has to be shouting, it should be ordering people to do thing, and only when strictly necessary. But Ren seems to have elbowed his way into the narrow bracket that is Hux’s kind of thing. 

 

He squeezes past between the wall and Hux leaning on the counter to get his bag. Hux means to reprimand him for the hand that rests on his hip for a moment as Ren’s skinny hips shift against his rear. But it's surely a coincidence. Nothing to think too much about.

 

Pulling on his hoodie and shouldering his bag, he smiles back at Hux as he loosens his hair from the messy knot on top of his head. It falls in soft waves halfway down his back.

 

‘Well thanks anyway, it means a lot. You gotta let me repay the favour sometime!’

  
Hux stands , turning his back to the counter to let him past. Ren pecks him on the cheek and gives him a brief, one armed squeeze around his waist as he leaves, still smiling. That's got to be nothing to worry about. His heart jumping into his throat is clearly an overreaction. He's just playing, right?


	2. Chapter 2

Hux moaned in protest at being woken by his phone pinging. Whoever had robbed him of a precious couple of hours of sleep was about to regret it.   
  
2:15am blinks in bright white digits from a background of billowing nebula clouds. He curses, unlocking the screen. One message from Kylo. His heart suddenly attempts to fit three beats where only one should be.   
  
'Wish u wre here'    
  
He can look past the awful spelling and lack of context for the sentiment Ren's trying to express. His immediate, half-asleep instinct is to reply that he wishes he was too.   
  
No, too desperate. He's blowing this out of proportion, he's sure Kylo's just being friendly. He decides on a fairly neutral 'Having fun?'   
  
'Y. Few drniks. You'd like it here.'   
  
That explains a few things. Although he's surprised that Kylo's inebriated brain has drifted to thoughts of him.  He wishes he was there too. Even being in a tent in the middle of a strange field surrounded by all sorts of people he'd rather not associate with would be worth it to have a vaguely inebriated Kylo draped over him.   
  
Better yet that Kylo was here in bed with him. Hux still couldn't get that almost-kiss on his cheek out of his mind. The brief snatch of shampoo scent and dark roast that clung to Kylo's hair, and the wish that he'd pulled him closer. All coupled with toe-curling embarrassment that he had actually considered doing those things. All together, it was incredibly frustrating.    
  
'Maybe next time.' He replies. That implies there will be a next time. It's a loose enough commitment that he can easily wriggle out of it. But he hopes that he won't need to. Hux's phone bleeps again.   
  
'Maybe. C u Monday :) x'   
  
He grins, and lets himself hold the smiley face and the parting kiss to his chest like a secret as he drifts back to  sleep.   
  
***   
  
Monday comes far too slowly. Ren doesn't text again and Hux cannot find one convincing thing to text him about. He reminds himself that Ren has his own life and friends and tries not to stare at his phone, busying himself with coursework, completing the recommended reading list and cleaning his already immaculate apartment. Hux settles himself in front of the evening news. He's exhausted all possibilities in his apartment.    
  
He wonders if he should go out. He could always call Phasma. Maybe tonight was a good night to find someone new. Someone who doesn't mean anything to get Ren out of his system. If only he was any good at telling when someone was flirting with him, if only he actually enjoyed the bright lights and clamour of the bars and clubs. If only the idea of someone else appealed to him.   
  
Hux falls asleep in front of the evening news considering his options. He dreams about Ren in that tent. For some reason Ben is shirtless and sighing into his neck. He feels his phantom lips nudging at the soft spot under his chin, breath and tongue and teeth warm on his neck, his body arching against Ren and 'Hux..please' just as he wakes.   
  
***   
  
Hux always closes on Monday, sometimes accompanied by Ren. He almost expects him not to show, but texts him anyway when the new lunchtime staff don't show up. Cursing them, he taps 'Bit busy, little help?' Into his phone between orders and is actually quite surprised when Ren texts back immediately 'on my way.'   
  
'Hey you, carrot-top, maybe I could get a little service here?'   
  
A man with a shaved head leans across the counter, waving his meaty hand between Hux's face and his phone screen.   
  
'Maybe Tinder can wait until after my latte?' He looks incredibly pleased with himself, grinning all over his wide, meaty pink face. Hux bites back every snide remark he can think of and smiles back icily.   
  
'We're actually a little short staffed today Sir, just calling for reinforcements.'   
  
'You'd better tell them to step on it then.' Meathead says, glancing over his shoulder at the long and increasingly agitated queue. Hux can feel the bile rising in his throat but stays glacially calm.   
  
'They'll be here shortly sir, what can I get you?'   
  
'Tall skinny latte for my wife over there, do not fuck this up buddy, with uh...vanilla, babe?'    
  
A woman across the room shouts something indistinct back at him.    
  
'So a tall skinny latte with a shot of vanilla...' Hux taps the order into the screen in front of him, trying to avoid eye contact. He doesn't want to punch him quite so much when he doesn't have to look at him.   
  
'She said caramel. Are you fucking deaf too, carrot-top?'   
  
'My apologies, Sir.' Hux can feel the irritation creeping into his voice.   
  
The man leans across the counter, pushing his face right up to Hux’s. ‘I guess you think you’re pretty funny, don’t you..uh..’ He glances down at Hux’s name tag ‘Hux?’   
  
‘I apologise, why don’t you let us make a drink for you and your wife and I can start getting this line under control?’ Hux cannot resist a challenge like this, and whilst he stays polite, stands his ground. Phasma has stepped out from behind the coffee machine and taken a few steps closer to him.

 

The man’s eyes narrow with dislike. Hux can smell grease and old mayonnaise on his breath. He can almost feel his own IQ dropping in the presence of this idiot

 

‘‘Maybe I should come behind there and make sure you don’t fuck it up, huh? I know guys like you, smartasses who spit in my drink when I’m not watching. You like that idea, huh?’

 

Hux is incredibly tempted to tell him that he’d love nothing better when the man grabs the front of his apron in a surprisingly strong fist.

 

‘I’m talking to you, asshole.’

 

Hux opens his mouth to speak as several things suddenly happen at once. Phasma is around the counter and has taken a very firm grip of Meathead’s wrist before Hux notices she’s missing. Ren has appeared, attempted to punch Meathead, and is now having his arms held behind his back by a tanned, curly-haired guy, who appears to know him well enough that Ren is snarling at him ‘Put me  _ the fuck  _ down, Poe!’ but keeps calling him Ben for some reason.   
  
Having escorted Meathead out of the door, Hux watches Phasma through the window as she whispers what is no doubt a warning about what would happen if he returned, making her point with her fingers curled just so around his bicep.

  
‘


End file.
